Chopard 2017: Happy Ocean après dive watches for ladies

Colourful Nautical Adventure

Happy Ocean ref. 278587-3002 and ref. 278587-3001

This year, Chopard surprised with a couple of mechanical Happy Ocean après dive watches in the Happy Sport collection. Although rated at 300m water resistance, the collection cannot be called “diving watches” because they have not all been tested to International Dive Watch standards; the gem-set versions are only rated at 100m water resistance.
I was not surprised that Chopard are making mechanical diving watches again because they had done so previously in the L.U.C Collection with the L.U.C Pro One.

The surprises are that the Happy Sport line is for ladies but these new watches contain mechanical movements and are on NATO-style military webbing straps.

Mechanical Drive

Since the launch of Happy Sport in 1993, it has been a success and spawned other sporty lines like Happy Fish and Happy Beach watches but those were with electric-powered quartz movements.

For 2017, Happy Ocean combines sporty and elegant qualities to be the ideal watch for the Chopard lifestyle: ‘exploring the ocean floor, relaxing on a yacht or strolling on the sand’.

Proof that it is as technical as it is fun, the water-resistance rating is 300 metres and it is driven by a self-winding in-house Chopard mechanical movement. The automatic Chopard movement (01.01-C) is entirely developed and produced by Chopard in Fleurier, Switzerland.

Chopard 01.01-C movement

Dancing Diamonds

Happy Sport Collection has delighted fans of chic, sporty watches for nearly 24 years. The Happy Sport was the first steel Chopard ladies watch with diamonds. Without any setting, diamonds dance between two sapphire crystals, illuminating the entire dial.

Happy Ocean

Happy Ocean ref. 278587-3002 blue-raspberry bezel

Happy Ocean focuses on a nautical adventure. The large 40 mm steel case features a unidirectional rotating bezel with two-tone blue-turquoise or blue-raspberry colour schemes that are inspired by azure blue shades and brightly coloured corals, while featuring a wave-shaped design for easier handling under water.

Happy Ocean ref. 278587-3001 blue-turquoise bezel

The screw-down crown is marked with a ‘C’ for Chopard logo and the case-back is engraved with a wave motif.

The intense blue dial evokes the ocean depths and is enlivened by a white minutes hand edged with blue or raspberry luminous paint that glows at night or in dark waters.

Happy Ocean glow

The hour-markers and hour hand is also glows in a blue hue while all other indications required for diving are in green.

Five moving diamonds look like oxygen bubbles or tiny sparkling fish. They swim around this beautiful aquarium by the magic of Chopard’s patented dancing diamonds technology…floating weightless in their inner ocean.

For the first time on a Chopard’s ladies’ watches, a NATO strap is supplied – a sporty, light, fun material suited to all weather conditions and adventures.

Just in time for the Summer, Happy Ocean invites you to head for the open waters or for the more laid back, it is content to inspire daydreams of a sunny, warm day on the beach or a moonlight skinny dip in the shimmering bioluminescent sea.

Conclusion:

At 40 mm diameter and with very discreet diamonds, these sporty, mechanical watches could even find themselves on male wrists this season.

By the Autumn, we could be saying to some guys: “I know what you did last Summer…” 🙂

Author’s Biography: Melvyn Teillol-Foo (MTF)

Dr Melvyn Teillol-Foo is a contributor on AlphaLuxe web-zine. He is also a moderator on PuristSPro.com horology discussion fora. He blends his scientific medical objectivity from the pharmaceutical industry with purist passion, in his musings about watches, travel, wine, food and other epicurean delights. His travelog ‘Lazing’ and feasting ‘Grazing’ series of articles have now passed into “mythic legend” on the original ‘ThePuristS.com’ website. Those were the halcyon days when he was “rich and famous” that he remembers with bittersweet fondness.

Dr Teillol-Foo is a quoted enthusiast on the watch industry, appearing in feature articles and interviews by Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, Sunday Times (London), Chronos (Japan), Citizen Hedonist (France) and other publications. He has authored articles for magazines like International Watch (iW) – both U.S. & Chinese editions, ICON (Singapore), August Man (Singapore), Comfort (China) and The Watch (Hong Kong).